Diabetes mellitus is a disorder in which the pancreas cannot create sufficient insulin (Type I or insulin dependent) and/or in which insulin is not effective (Type 2 or non-insulin dependent). In the diabetic state, the victim suffers from high glucose, which may cause an array of physiological derangements (for example, kidney failure, skin ulcers, or bleeding into the vitreous of the eye) associated with the deterioration of small blood vessels. A hypoglycemic reaction (low glucose) may be induced by an inadvertent overdose of insulin, or after a normal dose of insulin or glucose-lowering agent accompanied by extraordinary exercise or insufficient food intake.
Conventionally, a diabetic person carries a self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) monitor, which typically comprises uncomfortable finger pricking methods. Due to the lack of comfort and convenience, a diabetic generally measures his glucose level only two to four times per day. Unfortunately, these time intervals are spread so far apart that the diabetic will likely find out too late that he has entered a hyper- or hypo-glycemic condition, sometimes incurring dangerous side effects. In fact, it is not only unlikely that a diabetic will take a timely SMBG value, but he will not know if his blood glucose is going up (higher) or down (lower), which inhibits his ability to make educated insulin therapy decisions.
Home diabetes therapy requires personal discipline of the user, appropriate education from a doctor, proactive behavior under sometimes-adverse situations, patient calculations to determine appropriate therapy decisions, including types and amounts of administration of insulin and glucose into his or her system, and is subject to human error. Technologies are needed that ease the burdens faced by diabetic patients, simplify the processes involved in treating the disease, and minimize user error which may cause unnecessarily dangerous situations in some circumstances.